Stuart Ronald "Skip" Aronson | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Stuart Aronson, 80, a resident of Grimesland, died Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 at Ridgewood Manor Nursing Home in Washington.

    Survivors include his son, Philippe; daughter-in-law, Emmanuelle; and granddaughter, Nina, all of Paris, France; as well as his brother Jerry of Binghamton, NY; and his longtime companion, Mj Carbo of Washington.

    He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Ruth Vivien Aronson; and his former wife, Nicole.

    Stuart lived a rich life distinguished by his dedication to the performing arts. Originally from Chicago, he broke into acting at the age of 5, an age when most children are learning to read. As a radio performer, his early show-business experience included singing and voicing diverse roles, including that of Skippy on the nationally broadcast "Ma Perkins" soap opera. Thanks to a chance studio meeting, he was perhaps the first young person to be introduced to the cast of the children's show "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" before that pioneering television program went on the air. Later, Stuart joined the Army and spent time touring Germany as a member of a theater company. He sang opera in Italy, winning over audiences there. He helped stage theatrical productions on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. He graduated with a fine-arts degree from Northwestern University and earned his master's degree from American University. When his family relocated to Greenville, North Carolina, he went on to teach public speaking at East Carolina University and gave private voice and acting lessons. He was fluent in French, Spanish, German and Italian, and was renowned for speaking beautifully in his native language.

    For 40 years, he directed Greenville's Sunday in the Park concert series. He retired from that position last year, receiving a standing ovation from the approximately 1,000 people in attendance at the last concert he staged.

    Stuart was a prolific playwright who wrote and directed several of his own works. His most successful and long-lasting play was an outdoor drama, "Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag." The play ran from 1977 until 1986 in Bath. Thousands of spectators, many of them tourists, saw the show during its original run. The drama was revived for Bath's Tricentennial celebration in 2005 and ran for a partial season in 2006. Generations of local actors passed through the ranks of "Blackbeard." Some of those actors went on to be arts educators and administrators, professional performers or lifelong community volunteers.

    Stuart also penned "The Last Showboat," a play about author Edna Ferber's encounter with the James Addams Floating Theatre. Staged at the Washington Civic Center, the play was full of references to Bath and other eastern North Carolina locations Ferber visited on a research trip that led to the novel and ultimately the musical "Show Boat."

    Stuart is remembered as a loving and devoted friend and family member and as an energetic, intelligent and effective advocate for the arts.

    His absence is deeply felt.

    No funeral will be held. Memorials may be made to Saving Graces 4 Felines, PO Box 4307, Greenville, NC 27836; or to the BHM Regional Library, 158 North Market Street, Washington, NC 27889.

    Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Aronson family.